Optical fiber laser cutting technology tangible and intangible benefits:
When researching fiber-optic laser cutting technology, it is obvious why fiber-optic lasers are so popular, considering the productivity advantage of cutting two to four times more parts per unit of time and consuming less than half the operating cost of carbon dioxide.These are tangible gains -- gains based on performance indicators such as speed and operating costs.
The intangible profit comes from the additional machine capacity and lower total cost because, unlike co2 lasers, there is no need to maintain optical devices, beam path bellows, purging systems, vacuum pumps, and other related accessories, thereby freeing up more machine capacity and saving more maintenance costs.Fiber lasers can run at full capacity on a daily basis, which is another opportunity to gain capacity.
The alignment and size of the beam on the fiber laser do not change, which helps to maintain the consistency of cutting and repeatability of parameters on a daily basis.The productivity of the machine is further improved because it does not take time to adjust the parameters to ensure that the cutting quality of the parts is always the same in each shift and every day.
It is very important to evaluate new fiber laser cutting functions correctly and study their application in production.Typically, the engineer's task is to test the technical parameters of each machine and summarize them in a spreadsheet.Feed rate charts are typical charts for determining speed, but they don't tell you much about overall productivity.
Why doesn't the feed rate chart tell the whole story?Because of the lack of critical machine dynamics criteria, such as acceleration and deceleration during positioning and cutting, and perforation time, this is important for the end result.The total time is not affected when the feed speed is increased in small size parts or in short distances where constant deceleration and acceleration are required, because the maximum feed speed is never reached.Having a higher acceleration system allows you to reach maximum speed over shorter distances and reduces the total operating time.
The overall assessment of the productivity of the fiber laser cutting machine is best verified by research and then confirmed by a live demonstration.The research should take into account not only feed speed but also all the different aspects of machine dynamics and laser technology that have been incorporated into the machine.The only way to verify the effectiveness of a new device is to look at the state of the machine and confirm the actual productivity increase.
Factors to consider when evaluating fiber lasers:
When considering fiber optic lasers, both tangible and intangible benefits should be evaluated.
Do not use the feed rate chart as the sole criterion for selecting a vendor in the first place, as it does not provide complete information.
Communicate with the supplier to confirm the best choice, see how the machine in operation actually cuts the parts, and compare it with the parameters provided by the supplier.
After assessing the full potential of fiber-optic laser technology, you will realize that using fiber-optic lasers can produce two to four times as many parts at half the cost and create more machine capacity, making it easier to enter other markets or win more competitive bids.Both tangible and intangible benefits need to be evaluated to see the full potential of investment in fiber lasers
